not been checked under the current administration. >> five years ago at the conference, i stated my view that iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons capability presents an intolerable threat to israel to america and to the world. that threat has only become worse. now as then the regime claims that it seeks to enrich nuclear materiel for peaceable purposes or belied by years of maligned deception. but today iran is five years closer to developing nuclear weapons capability. preventing that outcome must be our highest national security priority. it is iran that is the leading state sponsor of terrorism and the most destabilizing nation in the world. we have a solemn duty and a moral imperative to deny iran's leaders the means to follow through on their malevolent intentions. >> earlier in the day senior policy adviser dan senor said if

israel has to take action on its own, the government would respect that decision. he later clarified that. while romney supports diplomacy first, he recognized israel's right to defend itself. romney spent part of sunday with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. both worked at a boston consulting group back in the 1970s, lifelong friends. netanyahu was quick to question policies aimed to stop iran from developing nuclear weapons which he says have not worked. >> you said that the greatest danger for israel in the world is the ayatollah regime possessing nuclear weapons capability. mitt, i couldn't agree with you more. and i think it's important to do everything in our power to prevent the ayatollahs from possessing that capability. we have to be honest and say that all the sanctions and diplomacy so far have not set back the iranian program by one

iota. >> romney also visited with palestinian prime minister and what advisers say is their third meeting. still, the campaign is following the candidates overseas. the latest cover of "newsweek" questions romney and the wimp factor. it harkens back to a similar cover in 1987 of george w. bush. the media said he was worried he wouldn't be able to get enough sleep. an israel newspaper is reporting president obama's national security adviser, thomas donelan, has briefed the prime minister on a u.s. contingency plan to attack iran if diplomacy is unable to stop the country's nuclear program. the article sourced a senior u.s. official speaking on the condition of anonymity. that's the power of the presidency. they don't let romney get all the headlines in israel. here at home, democrats remain critical of romney's performance abroad, specifically his rocky start in london where the republican candidate

publicly voiced concerns over the uk's ability to handle the summer olympics you see here on nbc. >> mitt romney wondered aloud whether london was ready for the olympics, and i think it's clear that voters in this country wonder aloud whether mitt romney is ready for the world. and i think the world is not yet ready for mitt romney. i'm happy david cameron had the last word because i thought it was embarrassing for our country. >> on the eve of a significant event for one of our strongest allies makes a huge intelligence gaffe by revealing the existence and saying out loud the existence of their biggest intelligence agency. i think he's demonstrated pretty repeatedly since he's been out of the country that he lacks the experience, he lacks the preparation and the diplomatic skills to be able to be the commander in chief, to be able to be the president of the united states. >> facing mounting pressure from democrats and republicans to release more years of his tax returns, mitt romney was asked yesterday about his tax rate

prior to 2010. >> there was one year when you paid about a 13.9% tax rate. can we clear this up by asking you a simple y or no question? was there ever any year when you paid lower than the 13.9%? >> i haven't calculated that. i'm happy to go back and look, but my view is i have paid all the taxes required by law. i don't pay more than are legally due. and frankly, if i had paid more than are legally due, i don't think i'd be qualified to become president. i think people would want me to follow the law and pay only what the tax code requires. >> reporter: you say you would go back and look. you would look for us? >> i haven't looked at the tax rate paid year by year. i know that i pay a very substantial amount of taxes, and every year since the beginning of my career so far as i can recall. >> as mitt romney prepares to make his choice for a running mate, former vice president dick

cheney is weighing in on the process by reflecting on the last presidential race. speaking with abc news, cheney suggested it was a misstep for senator john mccain to pick sarah palin who, in his words, had to, quote, pass that test of readiness to serve in the country's highest office. >> i like governor palin. i've met her. i know her. she's an attractive candidate. but based on her background, she had only been governor for, what, two years. i don't think she passed that test. >> being ready? >> of being ready to take over. and i think that was a mistake. >> according to abc news, former vice president cheney has offered advice to the top aide leading the search for mitt romney's running mate. interesting, vice president dick cheney still very much in the gop mix. "the new york times" reporting bill clinton will have

a major role at the democratic national convention in charlotte. according to the report, clinton will take the stage for a coveted primetime speech to formally nominate president obama for a second term. clinton's address is expected to focus on the administration's efforts to put the economy back on track. "the times" report says an official announcement about the clintons' role at the convention will come later. clinton's role, not the clintons, his wife won't speak there. everything old is new again. bill clinton making a democratic case. it might as well be 1996. still ahead on "way too early," the united states olympic men's 4x100 freestyle loses to, of all teams, the french. willie geist will be live from london to tell you everything you need to know from this weekend's olympic action. plus, remember back in middle school when you'd go find your mom and give her that big hug on the sideline at the end of your basketball team's amazing victory? boys and girls club watching in d.c. that was the scene except in this case first lady michelle obama was giving the hugs. look how cute that is. that story and a check on the

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you're looking live at the beautiful capitol rotunda on a beautiful morning in washington, d.c. look at that. the sun's not quite up yet which means it's probably a little cloudy and hazy over there, but i'm no expert. i didn't get a meteorology degree. i only got a player-hating degree. let's get a check on weather from nbc meteorologist bill

karins. bill, a ton of rain. >> i know. >> in the corridor this weekend. >> i got rained out myself. >> we all got rained out from boston down to d.c. more rain expected this week? when will we get some sunshine? >> middle of the week. we get a break today. >> how about next weekend? >> that's seven days in advance. >> i'm an epic planner here. >> about wednesday i'll give you that one. >> thank you, sir. >> this morning as you wake up and we start this week, the last couple days of july as we shift into august, nothing much will change. still remaining a little cool and unsettled in the eastern half of the country with on and off showers and storms. but the middle of the country, we're just baking in the heat. i mean, things are getting ridiculous. we really need a break from this. this map shows you where the drought is worst. the brighter the colors, the worse the drought. you can literally now go from colorado all the way to indiana on interstate 70 and just be in exceptional to extreme drought conditions. it's not pretty either. arkansas, now oklahoma, even north texas is now quickly shifting back into a bad drought. and when you're really dry, the

soil has no moisture in it, doesn't really help you cool. it's almost like a desert effect. usually the plants and the trees and the shrubbery help cool things off. but with everything so bone dry, it's easily with the sun up today going to get from 105 to 110 today from dallas to kansas all the way back over through arkansas. and even as we shift to tomorrow, there's no relief in sight. there's no rain in sight either. i mean, this area of the country just got a feel for all the people that their livelihoods depend on rainfall. talking the ranchers all the way through all the farmers. forecast for the northeast, you get a dry day today. a beautiful day, figures after a rainy, wet weekend in many spots. d.c., a slight chance of a storm. for the most part, you're dry. coastal areas of south carolina, florida and north carolina, late in the evening or early in the morning, you look just fine today. luke, a little preview of tomorrow does show some of those storms returning for the mid-atlantic. yeah, this was -- if you chose this weekend -- >> yeah, not a good weekend. >> wasn't pretty. >> at least we got rain.

colorado to indiana drought, that's dreadful you could drive that far and be in drought conditions. >> yes. and also your washington, d.c., fact of the day, they'll end up with probably the hottest july all time. the last three julys in a row going back since 1890, one, two and three for the hottest julys ever. >> wow! that is remarkable. >> i've got nothing else to do on a rainy weekend. >> we like that. those folks, indiana to colorado, perhaps some relief for the farm bill from congress in the next week. we'll see. bill, thanks. let's head back over to willie in london for the olympic highlights. willie in that wonderful vest. mike barnicle wanted me to remind you that the sox took 2 out of 3 for the yankees. the red sox scene is all but over. i'll say that on your behalf. >> reporter: i'm going to go long with my olympic update so we don't make it to the yankee highlights. good news for the americans and a world record in the pool. dana vollmer, 24-year-old from texas, in the 100-meter butterfly winning with a time of 55.98. that is a world record.

obviously, the gold medal goes to her. she was in third place at the turn, at the halfway point of the race, and had a great second 50 meters to come in and win. she didn't make the olympic team four years ago. she won a medal eight years ago, didn't make the team four years ago. now gold and a world record for dana vollmer. the men's 4x100 freestyle relay, this had phelps and lachie together on the same relay team. four years after the united states chased down the french in the 4x100, the roles were reversed. ryan lochte swimming the final leg. he had the lead but could not hold on. as angel comes back to win the race. michael phelps swam the americans' fastest split at 47.15, but it was not enough. the french blazed past ryan lochte. the u.s. settles for silver there. team usa basketball. opening round, the first game for them. the dream team cruising against tony parker and the french squad. 98-71 was the final. that man right there, kevin

durant, 22 points, 9 rebounds, as the first lady of the united states cheered them on. an easy win there. they play next tomorrow against tunisia. over in gymnastics, jordyn wieber believed by many the reigning world champion, the 17-year-old to be the favorite to win gold in the individual all-around, failed to qualify yesterday. she will not compete for the individual all-around. she will be around tomorrow when the united states women compete for the team. but she was beaten by her best friend, aly raisman. they were both crying afterward. raisman said, i feel so bad. i know how badly jordyn wanted this for her. jordyn, all class afterward, said i'm happy for my friend, and i'm glad to have the chance to compete in the team. after a weekend's worth of competition, can you see china leads the way in both total medals with 12 in gold with 6, the united states one back with 11 and 3 gold medals, italy,

south korea come in third and fourth place today. what you're going to want to watch so far, i mentioned the women's gymnastics, the men's team, they finished first in qualifying. also we'll see ryan lochte swim against a deep field in the finals of the 200 meter freestyle. and 17-year-old missy franklin, the missile as they call her, will have her first chance for individual gold when she takes the pool for the 100 meter backroke. first the u.s. women's water polo team looks to take the next step for their first-ever olympic gold. they get hungary live this afternoon. and that's an update from the olympics. luke, i know you'll be watching all day long over on the nbc sports network. that's where i'll be. >> that's the best place to watch. and willie, you're doing a heck of a job, my friend. i hope the u.s. women's water polo team is hungry to beat hungary and get that gold medal. >> reporter: you're better than that. >> 5:48 a.m. you're the jokester. the yankees hosting the red

sox. bottom of the eight, russell martin delivers a two-out liner back up the middle. run from second, will come around to score. and the game is tied at 2-2. the score would stay tied through nine innings. so they'll go to extras. in the tenth. will middlebrooks squares to bunt. and david robertson appears to hit him with the pitch. you see the immediate reaction from middlebrooks. the umpire calls it a foul ball. and that is going to earn the ear of bobby valentine. he comes out to argue. he doesn't last long before he gets an early trip to the showers. so the red sox will play on without their skipper. early trip in the tenth inning. two batters later, pedro sirachco dumps a fly ball into shallow right. look at this from ichiro. doesn't take a great route to the ball. and it drops in front of him. the go-ahead run will score. let's go to the bottom of the tenth. last chance, yankees. raul ibanez up with a man on. gets him swinging for the final out of the game. red sox win, 3-2, in dramatic fashion, take the series from

the yankees, but they're still far back in the a.l. east. maybe a wild card in september, we'll see. let's go to america's team, the washington nationals, taking on the brewers in milwaukee. nationals down by two in the ninth until michael morse sends one the other way that just gets over the right field wall. 9-9. morse again coming through. this time with a two-run double that breaks the tie and puts the nationals up. they stay four games up on the braves in n.l. east. you've got to love the nationals. plenty of room on the bandwagon. come on board, america. at the top of the hour, mitt romney talks tough in israel as a news magazine calls him a wimp. so which is it? we'll discuss with the "morning joe" panel. when we come back, we'll huddle around the water cooler to bring you all your olympic outtakes including this reaction by the parents of one u.s. olympic gymnast to their daughter's routine. you don't want to miss it. "way too early" will be right back. [ male announcer ] while many automakers are just beginning to dabble

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♪ the olympics are in full swing in london now. we've gotten a chance to see just how much teammates from all the competing countries rely on each other in the course of competition. the united states, however, might have a bit of an advantage when it comes to teammate closeness.

if you want to sound smart today, tell your friends the united states olympic team features eight pairs of siblings, including tennis-playing twins bob and mike bryan. the united states also has siblings competing in swimming, water polo, field hockey, rowing and my personal favorite, tae kwon do. enough with the real news. let's gather around the water cooler to watch american swimming star ryan lochte run into some trouble in london when it comes to displaying his patriotic playing. after winning gold on saturday in the 400 meter individual medley, the 27-year-old was set to hit the podium sporting a red, white and blue grill. the diamond-encrusted mouthware was specifically made for the summer games, but lochte who often wears tooth embellishments in awards ceremonies was reportedly told by organizers to ditch the flair. he's got to be in a nelly rap video after that. come on, let the guy wear his grill. in basketball, first lady michelle obama offered up big hugs to team usa after their 9d 98-71 victory over france.

kevin durante scored 22 in his olympic debut. and lebron james had eight assists. the first lady recently attended a game in washington with president obama. the latest installment of the dream treem plays tomorrow against tunisia. look at all those hugs. a sweaty chris paul. she goes right in for the real thing. not worried about any of that sweat getting on her shirt there. great performance out of the first lady. even james harden's beard gets a hug there. it's not just the athletes feeling the pressure at these summer games. family members of the olympians are also hanging on every dive, sprint and vault. one prime example, the parents of aly raisman who suffered through all 48 seconds of their daughter's preliminary competition on the uneven bars. >> come on, aly. come on, aly, you got it. let's go. let's go, aly. let's go. let's go. let's go. let's go. let's go. let's go. let's go. come on.

handstand. let's go. come on, aly. come on. come on. come on. come on. catch it! nice. come on. come on. catch. let's go. let's go. catch it! >> stick it, please. >> stick it! stick it! >> yeah! ah! >> that's how i talk to the buffalo bills every sunday. still ahead on "way too early," why are you awake? your perfect ten, tweets, texts and e-mails are next. and "morning joe" now just moments away. don't go anywhere. [ male announcer ] every day, the world gets more complex.

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at the top of the show, we asked you why are you awake? producer john tower has your answers. john? >> frances writes, was up all weekend watching round-the-clock olympics coverage and now my schedule is all out of whack. what is this show? >> it's "way too early with is ? >> "it's way too early with willie geist." now you know.

"morning joe" starts right now. tune in. ♪ welcome to "morning joe." you're looking at a beautiful shot from the top of the rock. it is july the 30th, and we are, i'll tell you what, we are getting through an olympics game, extraordinary opening ceremony this past weekend, but as "the washington post" is reporting, some empty seats. some of our big stars not doing as well as usual, but as always this is -- it's a spectacle that unites a country. mike barnicle, john heilemann, steve rattner, richard hoss, catty kay with us today. mike barnicle, the amazing thing about the olympics is, you remember this, you remember the civil war. >> yeah. >> i don't need to explain this to you.

you can go back through time and you remember these events that used to unite us as a country where everybody would stop and whether it was the jfk assassination or the beatles on ed sullivan or neil armstrong walking on the moon, or just about every political convention you could go house by house by house and it seemed like everybody was watching. that doesn't happen anymore, but it does happen every four years still. i can't believe it. even though we're cynical, everybody seems to stop, watch these olympic games, and whether you're going out to the restaurants or grocery stores or seeing your friends, they're talking about, you know, phelps coming in fourth place and -- >> yeah. >> you know. this does unite us every four years. it's pretty crazy that it still does in 2012. >> i think you're right, joe. in an age when all we talk about is polarization in our